Maternity garment



Sept. 30, 1958 c. J. GElMl-:R 2,854,006

MATERNITY GRMENT Filed NOV. 28, 1955 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE/S 2,854,006 MATERNITY GARNIENT Cornelius I. Geimer, Burr Oak,Mich.,

man Manufacturing Company, Sturgis, poration of Michigan assignor toFree- Mich., a cor- Application November 28, 1955, Serial No. 549,333 7Claims. (Cl. 12S- 541) The present invention relates to an improvedmaternity garment or girdle devised to provide the best possibleabdominal uplift control and thigh and hip control for a pregnant womanduring the progressive development of the pregnancy.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved maternity girdlewhich will, without imposing any harmful pressure over the abdomen,afford a desired control of the sort referred to above, and whichattains this abdomen, thigh and hip control adjustments or pull straps.On the cgntrary, the results are attained by'novel and ingeniousarrangement of different types or qualities of fabrics, all generallyelastic in character.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide amaternity garment furnishing proper abdomen uplift combined with thighand hip control, as well as to afford needed expansion during thepregnancy without undue pressure over any area of the abdomen, in whichthe girdle has an upper front panel fabricated of a shirred elastic netfabric, capable of expanding vertically and horizontally withoutexerting appreciable pressure. With this panel or section there isassociated a separate sling member of elastic material, this memberextending across the lower margin of the shirred net panel, and exertingadditional uplift control in this zone.

ln accordance with another object of the invention, the sling member ispreferably secured at its ends to the seam joining an upper shirredpanel as described to a side and back encircling panel of the girdle.

The sling member is constituted of a 'considerably stronger elasticfabric or material than the shirred net panel, needless to say, and thefront area or section of the garment is completed by a still furtherpanel of elastic fabric, contoured in accordance with the contour of thelower margin of the shirred net panel and the elastic sling whichextends around its lower margin. The sling is preferably attached to thefront section at the meeting zone of the upper shirred panel and thelower panel with the result that a substantially stronger support isafforded around the lower contour of the abdomen than across the shirredarea.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved maternitygarment in which different embodiments of the principles of theinvention may takeA the form of a girdle or a panty garment, theadvantageous results mentioned above being secured in any embodimentwithout the use in any degree of lace or pull strap adjustments, butsolely by means of .a novel arrangement and relationship of dierenttypes of elastic fabric panels or members.

The foregoing as well as other objects of the invention will becomeapparent as this description proceeds, especially in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating an improvement in the form ofa girdle as worn by the user;

without the use of laced- `fic Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of theVgarment* in a typical contouring of the same as worn in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical cross section along a line corresponding toline 3-3 of Fig. l.

The improved garment, generally designated 10, whether in the form of amaternity girdle as illustrated herein or other garment having the sameintended object, consists generally of a side and rear encircling panel11 of substantial area, constituted by a well known type of aconventional, rather close mesh elastic fabric such as nylon, a lowerfront abdomen supporting panel 12 of a similar kind and quality ofmaterial, being of like character as to lateral and longitudinalelasticity, an upper front abdomen panel 13 of a shirred elastic netmaterial capable of stretching both horizontally and vertically undervery little tension, and an inner, horizontally extending abdomensupport band or sling 1,4 of a suitable elastic webbing such as iscommonly employed in constrictive components of garments of varioustypes. Needless tosay, the materials of all of the parts referred toabove will be launderable.

The upper margin of the rear and front sections, which are seamed to oneanother by stitching along the downwardly divergent lines 15, has anelastic web waist band 16 stitched theretoyand this waist band may be ofthe same material as the abdomen support sling 14. The sling 14 ispositioned across the inner surface of the panel 13 (which is seamed tothe lower panel 12 along the arcuate, downwardly concave line ofstitching 17), and the sling is stitched to the same stitching 17 at itsmidpoint, as indicated by the numeral 13; and the ends of the band aresimilarly secured to the stitched seams 15 joining the front and rearpanels of the garment.

The lower margin of the front and rear panels is encircled by a lengthof elastic webbing 19 which is intermediate in its elasticity inrelation to the upper frontpanel 13 and the lower front panel 12.Appropriate garter elements 20 will be applied to this member in theconventional manner.

It is seen from the foregoing description of the garment, as illustratedin the drawings, that the inner sling 14 provides a very effectiveuplift control across the lower contour of the abdomen, while thetwo-way stretch shirred netting 13 comfortably accommodates theincreasing abdominal contour without imposing harmful pressure. Thelocal securement of the sling 14 to the joined front panel sections, i.e., intermediate its ends at 1S, prevents the possibility of the slingriding up or chafing when the garment is worn, and insurance is had thatthe uplift support is a uniform one across the zone of its applicationunder all circumstances and in all postures of the wearer. lts upliftaction is supplemented by the elastic panel 12 therebeneath, whichcoacts with the side and rear panel 11 (of comparable elasticity) inaffording a desired thigh and hip control.

The garment is devoid of pull straps or lacing. The inequalities ofadjustment characteristic of these conventional provisions are avoided,as well as inconvenience of manipulating the same; and the cost of thegarment is correspondingly lessened.

The invention affords a pantie-girdle way stretch fabric, in the main,but constructed with insert material of soft, easy-stretch shirredelastic to provide for expansion with almost no pressure. Healthfuluplift support, however, is assured by the solid elastic bottom frontpanel 12, i. e. a uniform and constant abdomen uplift of rmer character.

The garment gives desired hip and thigh control, as well as uplift andis especially advantageous because of the economy of cost which itsconstruction provides.

The absence of pull straps or laces eliminates bulk and novel andimproved girdle or 3. In a maternity girdle or like garment, a bodyenctrcling structure free in its supporting and control action verticallines, said lower front panel being of a material substantially lessyieldable than said upper front panel,

and an inner abdomen supporting sling secured at its ends acter as tolateral and longitudinal elasticity.

4. In a maternity girdle or like garment, a body enjoining said frontupper and lower panels,

d unit and said lower front panel being of seeming at a point spacedsubstantially from and between the ends of the sling, said first namedunit and said lower front panel being of like character as to lateraland longitudinal elasticity.

at least one upper panel of material readily stretchable horizontallyand vertically, and a lower elastic front panel seamed to said upperpanel, said front unit.

References Cited in the tile of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTSVrociu Apr. 27, 1954 Schubert June 13, 1944 Jacobson Feb. 22, 1949 BlattOct. 11, 1955 Blatt Sept. 18, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Nov. 26,1,934

